Bringing spokes back to life - any tips ?

[Geoffro]

Hey all,

Just managed to get 2 old wheels back to a respectable and pretty good looking order ( chrome )

But the spokes on the other hand, are pretty sad looking, any tips ??

Thanks in advance

[Big Bird]

I've had pretty good results with a bit of steel wool to get the crusty stuff off, then buffing them with a sisal buffing disc on my bench grinder.  You need to use a grey buffing compound.

I have noticed that they need a quick polish with autosol after a few months though.

[kdx Geoff]

Have a read of this, l have a wheel stripped to replate the spokes and my nickel plating chemicals are on the way. l hope to start cooking later in the week

http://forum.ozvmx.com/index.php?topic=31799.0

When I've got the spokes plated and the wheel back together in the next few weeks I'll add the results to the other thread.

Cheers

Geoff

[Mike52]

I have wire brushed them [ bench grinder wire buff ] then put them in a lathe , sanded them then zinc plated them.
Came up nice took a while tho.

[pmc57]

I also do my own zinc plating, a tip with spokes is to use a long vertical tank,  I use a length of 100mm PVC pipe (sewer or stormwater pipe) sufficient to cover the length of the spoke/s, this way you don't need huge quantities of electrolite fluid or a setup that takes up too much space. Also don't plate with too much zinc deposit, it can cause the threads to become tight with the nipples, not what you want when relacing spokes.
Also use a blue dip (pasivate) for the spokes and a yellow dip for the nipples, gives the off the shelf look.

Typically i would do one spoke at a time, maybe 2-3 minutes per spoke. As Mike52 said, it takes a while to do a complete set, good way to spend a wet Sunday afternoon...
Pete

[kdx Geoff]

I also do my own zinc plating, a tip with spokes is to use a long vertical tank,  I use a length of 100mm PVC pipe (sewer or stormwater pipe) sufficient to cover the length of the spoke/s, this way you don't need huge quantities of electrolite fluid or a setup that takes up too much space. Also don't plate with too much zinc deposit, it can cause the threads to become tight with the nipples, not what you want when relacing spokes.
Also use a blue dip (pasivate) for the spokes and a yellow dip for the nipples, gives the off the shelf look.

Typically i would do one spoke at a time, maybe 2-3 minutes per spoke. As Mike52 said, it takes a while to do a complete set, good way to spend a wet Sunday afternoon...
Pete

Hi Pete, have you got a pic of how this looks ? Sounds interesting

[pmc57]

I also do my own zinc plating, a tip with spokes is to use a long vertical tank,  I use a length of 100mm PVC pipe (sewer or stormwater pipe) sufficient to cover the length of the spoke/s, this way you don't need huge quantities of electrolite fluid or a setup that takes up too much space. Also don't plate with too much zinc deposit, it can cause the threads to become tight with the nipples, not what you want when relacing spokes.
Also use a blue dip (pasivate) for the spokes and a yellow dip for the nipples, gives the off the shelf look.

Typically i would do one spoke at a time, maybe 2-3 minutes per spoke. As Mike52 said, it takes a while to do a complete set, good way to spend a wet Sunday afternoon...
Pete

Hi Pete, have you got a pic of how this looks ? Sounds interesting


KDX Geoff
Following is a pic of my setup, as you can see I use PVC pipe for each solution, hydracloric acid for cleaning off all existing zinc plating, the electrolyte and the passivate dip. The pipes are long enough to accommodate spokes without being too big that require huge volumes of fluid.

I obtained both the electrolyte and dips (blue and yellow) from a plating supplier but you could probably get some from a plating company if you are on good terms.

I use an old Nokia phone charger with alligator clips added as my power source, 5.7V DC and 800mA seem to work well for spokes and most small parts like bolts and brackets. The positive (+) goes to the zinc anode and the negative (-) goes to the part. I tie up the part with copper wire and suspended off a copper rod above the electrolyte.

As I said earlier, a few minutes per spoke is normally enough. Between each step, i rinse the part well in a bucket of clean water and try to keep the finger away. After the final step, rinse well and blow off with compressed air. It does take a while to go through all the spokes for two wheels, but at least you can do it at your own pace.

[FourstrokeForever]

You make plating at home look and sound all too easy Pete. Thanks for sharing the tip with us. Now there is something else I can have a go at myself 

[kdx Geoff]

Hi Pete,

not much different to what lm doing with nickel but does the zinc take the dye after you plate the spokes ?
lm not quite sure about how the dye colors the spoke after you plate them.......

Geoff

[pmc57]

Geoff

The dye (in your terms) is what they call a passivate and from what I understand actually assists in the corrosion control properties of the zinc plating process. I'm no expert in the chemistry of plating but zinc plating on it's own does not have a very long corrosion preventitive window so a post plate dip in a passivate helps to "seal" the plating to provide longer protection. In addition it helps provide the final shiny, silvery blue finish that you expect when item are zinc plated professionally.

Peter

[kdx Geoff]

 

Thanks for the extra info Peter.

Geoff

[FourstrokeForever]

So does the yellow passivate give more of a gold hue to the finished product Peter? You're a gem clueing us up on your process.

Mark

[Mike52]

I drilled and tapped a alloy bar to hang the spokes from with the threads just out of the stuff.
I use a clear spaghetti container so I can watch the grass grow.
Na so I can see how their going.

[pmc57]

So does the yellow passivate give more of a gold hue to the finished product Peter? You're a gem clueing us up on your process.

Mark

You would notice most spoke nipples have the yellow or gold colour, this is the yellow passivate used. It is also used to provide an additional decorative effect like used on many automotive brackets and fittings.

[oldfart]

    Yellowing .....is all about length of time in blue dip also.